Chapter 96: The Vanished Rift

Adela was utterly bewildered by the current situation.

Why had the rift to the demon world suddenly disappeared?

Could it be that the Kranium Kingdom had eliminated the rift to the demon world?

They shouldn’t have that kind of power…

Adela knew well the state of the Kranium Kingdom.

After gaining independence from the Varta Kingdom, it had steadily marched toward ruin.

Yet they had eliminated a rift to the demon world?

A 5-star rift at that?

It was absurd.

However, the fact that the 5-star rift to the demon world had vanished remained unchanged.

Perhaps support came from elsewhere?

Rifts to the demon world don’t immediately appear on the map as soon as they form.

If it had formed much earlier than indicated, and support arrived from nearby to destroy it?

…Yes, if it was the Nail Kingdom, which was preparing for war.

As it happened, there was a nation near the Kranium Kingdom capable of destroying a 5-star rift to the demon world.

None other than the Nail Kingdom.

It was clear that the Nail Kingdom had eliminated the 5-star rift to the demon world.

Adela finished her thoughts and looked at High Priest Rai.

Rai, too, wore a perplexed expression due to the suddenly vanished rift to the demon world.

“High Priest Rai.”

“…Yes, Saintess.”

Rai, snapping out of his daze at Adela’s call, replied.

“You saw it, right?”

“Yes, what on earth is going on…!!”

“I suspect the Nail Kingdom provided support. To properly assess the situation, I think it would be best to first send an investigation team to the Kranium Kingdom. What do you think?”

Swish.

“That’s a good idea. I’ll send them immediately.”

Rai raised his hand.

A high-ranking priest from the Intelligence Agency, waiting nearby, approached.

Rai quietly gave orders to the priest.

“Immediately dispatch Investigation Team 1 to the capital Kranium of the Kranium Kingdom. And convey to Marma-kyung that we request escort for Investigation Team 1.”

“Yes.”

The priest replied to Rai’s words and promptly turned back.

Then Rai asked Adela.

“What do you plan to do about the remaining two?”

The rift to the demon world in the Kranium Kingdom had disappeared, but two more remained nearby.

Of the two remaining rifts, the 5-star one could be handled by the Intelligence Agency’s forces, but the 7-star one was impossible.

“I suppose we’ll have to inform His Holiness the Pope.”

Adela smiled bitterly.

As the First Saintess, Adela held immense power in Seionia.

However, she did not have the authority to mobilize a subjugation force capable of destroying a 7-star rift to the demon world.

The only one in Seionia who could mobilize a large-scale subjugation force was the Pope.

“Then I’ll go see him right away…”

“No.”

“…?”

Rai could only look puzzled at Adela’s words.

But that was only for a moment.

“…!”

Rai looked toward the entrance of the Intelligence Agency with a startled face.

Creak—

At that moment, the door opened, and a middle-aged man entered.

At the middle-aged man’s appearance, everyone in the Intelligence Agency bowed their heads in respect.

Even Rai, the head of the Intelligence Agency and a High Priest, bowed his head.

The only one who did not bow was Adela.

Of course, she only refrained from bowing her head; Adela greeted him politely.

“I greet His Holiness the Pope.”

The middle-aged man’s identity was none other than Pope Basus.

Basus smiled brightly at Adela’s greeting and replied.

“I greet the Saintess.”

After exchanging greetings, Basus looked at the map.

“I heard there were three, but there are only two.”

“A short while ago, the rift to the demon world in the Kranium Kingdom vanished.”

“What was the scale of the vanished rift? Judging by the remaining two, it shouldn’t have been small.”

“It was 5-star.”

“5-star…”

Basus trailed off.

Adela continued.

“We presume it was eliminated by the Nail Kingdom. The Intelligence Agency has dispatched Investigation Team 1.”

“I see.”

“For the remaining two, we may need to mobilize the Holy Order…”

Adela trailed off, gauging Basus’s reaction.

The ‘Holy Order,’ Seionia’s top combat organization.

To eliminate a 7-star rift to the demon world, at least one Holy Order would need to be mobilized.

” “

Basus responded with a low hum.

He stared intently at the map.

Basus’s face, as he gazed at the map, was filled with complexity.

“…?”

Adela could only feel puzzled by Basus’s reaction.

Why was he looking so troubled?

Could it be a situation where mobilizing the Holy Order was impossible?

Or was there another issue?

…But what is he looking at?

Basus was staring fixedly at one spot.

Adela checked where Basus was looking.

‘Varta?’

The place Basus was staring at was the ‘Varta Kingdom.’

‘…Why?’

No rift to the demon world had formed in the Varta Kingdom.

Yet why was Basus staring fixedly at the Varta Kingdom?

“A short while ago…”

Basus opened his mouth.

“A letter arrived from Gardion Tower.”

“From Gardion?”

“Yes, it contained some unbelievable stories.”

…

“Could you tell me what they were?”

“Of course.”

At Adela’s question, Basus smiled and turned his head to meet Adela’s eyes.

“Tower Master Sterun was a spy for the demon world faction.”

“…!”

Adela, and even Rai who was present, were shocked.

Sterun was a 7th-Circle Grand Mage, one of humanity’s sturdy pillars.

Yet Sterun was a spy for the demon world faction?

“Then Gardion right now…”

Adela trailed off.

Sterun was a wall-crosser powerhouse.

He wouldn’t go down easily; a fierce war must have erupted.

And the reason Gardion Tower sent a letter was likely to request support.

At Adela’s reaction, Basus replied with a continuing smile.

“Ah, of course, the situation has already been resolved.”

“Yes? Resolved?”

“They said they purged all spies within the tower, including Sterun. By the way, the reason for sending the letter wasn’t because of Sterun.”

“Then why…?”

Adela grew curious.

If not because of Sterun, why had Gardion Tower sent a letter?

“That damned worst blasphemer has returned.”

“…!”

Basus’s following words left Adela no choice but to be shocked.

A blasphemer refers to those who blaspheme against the gods.

And there are many blasphemers in both the demon world and human factions.

However, there is only one blasphemer prefixed with ‘damned’ and ‘worst.’

None other than ‘Gaon,’ the founding Tower Master of Gardion Tower, who went missing decades ago.

“It was hard to believe…”

Basus trailed off and looked back at the map.

With a bitter smile, he said.

“But looking at the situation, it seems we have no choice but to believe.”

“Are you thinking that he eliminated the 5-star rift to the demon world?”

“Yes, though the Saintess said the Nail Kingdom, I don’t think the Nail Kingdom would have helped the Kranium Kingdom. Incidentally, the tower’s letter mentioned that he went to Varta, so it advised not to make a mistake.”

Adela was at a loss for words.

Her mind was confused by this unexpected situation.

Basus continued.

“As for mobilizing the Holy Order, let’s observe the situation a bit more.”

“Are you thinking he can resolve it? Even an 8th-Circle mage couldn’t handle a 7-star…”

A 7-star rift to the demon world is powerful enough for count-level demons to cross over.

It is on a different level from the 6-star below it.

No matter how much an 8th-Circle mage, eliminating a 7-star rift alone is impossible.

Precisely, it is possible to eliminate it.

But it would require risking one’s life and an enormous amount of time.

“Still, he should be able to prevent them from coming out.”

“But if that’s the case, the people in that city…”

“Do you think there are survivors there?”

Adela could say nothing.

As Basus said, there couldn’t be survivors.

Everyone would be dead.

When Adela fell silent, Basus continued.

“There must be a reason the demon world faction opened a 7-star rift to the demon world.”

Even the demon world faction cannot easily create a 7-star rift to the demon world.

Yet they created one not in a coexistence zone, but in a mana-dominant region?

There must be a reason.

“We’ll know the reason soon enough. It won’t be too late to mobilize the Holy Order then.”

“Understood.”

Adela had no choice but to agree.

Basus looked back at Varta on the map and thought.

Could the appearance of the rifts to the demon world be related to the blasphemer?

The capital Kranium of the Kranium Kingdom.

Gaon cast magic toward the rift to the demon world in the sky, gushing with demonic energy.

Crackle!

Since it had not been long since it formed, the rift to the demon world was protected by a barrier.

However, Gaon’s magic pierced the barrier and struck the rift to the demon world.

The moment the magic struck, the rift to the demon world shrank dramatically.

Gaon continued casting magic.

Soon, the rift to the demon world completely vanished.

Thus, the sky over Kranium returned to normal.

Literally, ‘only the sky returned to normal.’

The demonic energy emitted by the rift to the demon world, as well as demons and demonic beasts, remained scattered throughout the city.

Of course, with the rift gone and the demonic energy supply cut off, the demonic energy would dissipate on its own.

Only the demons and demonic beasts needed to be dealt with.

And perhaps because he destroyed the rift quickly?

The level of the demons and demonic beasts that crossed over was quite low, and their numbers were few.

Among those detected by Gaon’s senses, the strongest was an intermediate-level demon.

Gaon roamed the city, beginning to hunt demons and demonic beasts.

As expected, there was no difficulty at all.

He finished the cleanup in less than 30 minutes.

However, Gaon’s expression was not good.

This isn’t the end.

If it weren’t for Gaon, a rift to the demon world would have opened in the Nail Kingdom as well.

Would the Nail Kingdom and Kranium Kingdom be the end?

No, Galan’s Shaman Formations would be installed elsewhere too.

And there would be places like the Kranium Kingdom where they had already activated.

“Hmm…”

In this frustrating situation, Gaon let out a low groan.

And right at that moment.

Swish!

Light flashed from his ring.

Gaon saw the light and immediately took out the communication crystal from his pocket.

Swish!

When he infused energy into the communication crystal, a figure appeared.

It was Lepra.

Lepra’s expression was filled with dismay.

Could something have happened in Varta?

“What’s the matter?”

Gaon asked Lepra.

Lepra replied.

• A report came in that a black hexagram has appeared.

“…!”

Gaon couldn’t help but be surprised.

A black hexagram is one of the precursor phenomena before a rift to the demon world opens.

Naturally, it’s not something that appears anytime.

A black hexagram only appears when at least a 7-star or higher rift to the demon world is about to open.

“Where?”

• In the city of Palagas in the Asgerus Kingdom.

Should he call it fortunate, at least?

It wasn’t within the Varta Kingdom.

Of course, he couldn’t relax.

The Asgerus Kingdom bordered the Varta Kingdom.

“Where is Palagas located?”

• It’s a border city facing Elberon.

“…!”

Gaon furrowed his brow.

Galan’s Shaman Formations in the Nail Kingdom and Kranium Kingdom were installed in the capitals.

So he thought Palagas, even if not the capital, would be near it.

Yet it was a city facing the border?

• Evacuation orders have been issued to nearby cities and villages facing Elberon.

“Well done. I’ll go check and contact you.”

• Yes.

Gaon ended the conversation for now.

This wasn’t the time to talk.

He needed to move as quickly as possible.

Gaon immediately soared into the sky.

And began flying at full speed.

The destination was the border city Palagas in the Asgerus Kingdom.